La Petite Mort
by s l y t h e r i n d o l l
Summary: He's handsome, smart, and sickeningly sweet. Everyone adores the new student at Hogwarts, everyone except Hermione Granger.
1. Chapter 1

**I will be doing three spooky one shots for Halloween, and this is the first. This is a non wizard Hogwarts AU, so please enjoy!**

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 **Warning: Blood, mentions of eating disorders**

* * *

 _See I was dead when I woke up this morning_

 _I'll be dead before the day is done_

* * *

Looking back, Hermione supposed that something wasn't quite right about Draco Malfoy from the very first moment they'd been introduced. _He's new_ , their Headmaster had told her. _Show him around, and please do your best to make him feel most welcome_. Hermione had accepted the task with an eager nod, always in the mood to both impress and boast. Taking on the assignment of showing a new student around the school grounds and prattling off about the wonderful things of said school would be killing two birds with one stone.

She'd greeted the young prodigy with a smile, one that he did not return, but Hermione paid that no mind. After all, some people were shy. He was a tall young man, towering over her average frame with ease, long legs almost forcing her to increase her own stride. He didn't talk much at first, opting instead to simply listen as she droned on about the wonders and history of the school. She did notice that while his face remained neutral though, lips pressed together, his eyes glowed with something akin to…curiosity?

It wasn't long before he tossed the occasional question at her. _Why is it forbidden? What creature do people believe lives there? Moaning Myrtle?_

"Tell me, Ms. Granger… Do you believe in ghosts?"

Hermione stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to gaze up at him.

The sun had taken refuge behind the clouds, making his face much more clear. He was a rather fair skinned young man, she noted. His complexion almost appeared translucent, healthy looking hair as equally fair. His eyes, the color of storm clouds, gazed down at her, awaiting an answer to his question. He was the perfect picture of decorum, pink lips framed by angular features, blonde eyelashes kissing his cheeks with his hands folded behind his back.

"Honestly? I don't suppose that I do. It's good natured fun, I will admit, and it definitely adds to the spooky atmosphere and reputation that Hogwarts seems to have."

He tilted his head, a strand of pale blond hair dancing along his forehead.

"But…?"

She shook her head with a soft chuckle.

"Ghosts, lake monsters, and things that go bump in the night… I was raised to never believe in such rubbish."

A small smile ghosted over his lips, and Hermione found herself transfixed by just how much something so small could change his features. An almost nonexistent chuckle came from deep within his throat, and suddenly, that blinding smile was cruel, a sneer forming over his features. Hermione was frozen in place as he looked down his nose at her. No one had ever looked at her before like that in her life.

"Your parents are fools."

* * *

"He has family in France. You know of the Delacours, right? Supposedly, their families are distant relatives or something."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it is true. Look at him! Good looks obviously run in the family."

The two girls giggled, and Hermione rolled her eyes, slamming her book shut and drawing their attention.

"Oh, _please_! Don't the two of you have anything else to talk about? From the very first moment he set foot into this school, I've heard nothing but how handsome he is or how smart he is or how athletic he is," Hermione snapped, face heating up in irritation.

Lavender and Ginny looked at her with wide eyes, clearly startled by her sudden outburst.

"For the past two and a half months, that is all _anyone_ in this bloody school ever talks about. He is not a _God_! He is not some angel sent down from the heavens to dare deign to grace us with his presence. He's just a _boy_. Nothing more," she mumbled, rant over as she began to collect her things.

"What's gotten your kickers in a twist, Granger?"

Hermione shot the blonde girl a scathing look, unfazed in the slightest by the mocking grin on her glossy lips. She brushed her golden curls over her shoulder, sharing a look with Ginny before bursting into another fit of giggles.

"Don't tell me… You don't like the school's new pride and joy?" Ginny questioned, twirling her pin around between her fingers.

Hermione felt her chest swell with something unfamiliar, teeth clenched as she narrowed her eyes at her red-haired friend.

"No! It's not that. I just…" she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I don't see what all of the fuss is about. There's nothing particularly outstanding about him."

Lavender barked a disbelieving laugh, folding her arms over her chest as she regarded Hermione with an observant gaze. Hermione ignored her, straightening her shoulders and holding her head high.

"…and he isn't the school's new pride and joy! Gosh."

"Come off it, Hermione. He's good looking, charming –almost sickeningly so– and we haven't seen marks this impressive since…well…," Ginny trailed off.

"Since you, but that's the problem, now isn't it?"

"I…"

"The teachers are doting on him, trying to pick his brain every chance they can get. Guys and girls alike are completely enamored with him, they're all jumping through hoops just to be noticed by him. It bothers you, because once upon a time…that was you," Lavender continued with a shrug, mirth dancing in her eyes.

Hermione scoffed, looking down at the other girl.

"If you're implying that I'm jealous-."

"I'm not implying anything. I'm saying it. You're jealous, and you should really get over it," Lavender interrupted.

Ginny held her hands up, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

"Okay, that's enough you two…"

"You're only saying that because you fancy him. You want to shag him, so-."

"I've already slept with him, so it makes no difference to me…" Hermione's eyes widened. "I'm simply speaking the truth. Little Miss Perfect has some competition, and she doesn't like it."

Hermione glared at the blonde, tempted say something that wasn't so nice before thinking better of it. With a huff, she spun on her heels and practically flew out of the library. She wasn't jealous. Least of all, not over something as silly as grades and attention from teachers. Truthfully speaking, she was glad to take the backburner for a bit, allowing her to take a breather and relax. Her slight animosity towards the angelic looking young man had nothing to do with school. It was just…

 _She didn't like him._

If she were forced to voice why she didn't like him, she wasn't so confident that she'd be able to come up with an acceptable answer besides she just didn't. From the very first day that she'd met him, something in her, something primal, buried so deep within her stood at attention. Something in her took caution around him, that feeling only festering when he'd so rudely insulted her parents.

The nerve of him! Calling her parents fools simply because they didn't believe in nonsense? She wasn't sure how he was raised, she didn't care to find out, but in her household, she was taught to respect others' beliefs so long as they weren't harmful. Attacking someone's parents over something as silly as ghost stories was…outrageous.

She recalled how rapidly his face had changed, looking so beautiful and then so unforgiving the next. It was frightening how sudden the change and change back had been, so obviously well practiced. Hermione wondered which face was his real one. She wondered if the sweet young man who smiled in everyone's faces was even real, at all. Ginny adored him, and even Harry and Ron seemed to look at him like something akin to a guru, like he held all of the secrets to the universe.

It made her feel so alienated at times.

As she approached the upcoming corridor, fully prepared to take the stairs that would lead to her dorm, a rather alarming sight caught her attention. Tracey Davis, a rather attractive brunette in their year had her back pressed against the wall, head tilted back. Her chest was heaving, legs parted to accommodate none other than Draco sodding Malfoy.

One of his hands rested against the wall beside her head, caging her in, and the other gripped the back of her head, tilting it so that his face rested gently in the crook where her shoulder and neck met. Hermione tightened her grip on her bag, recalling Lavender's casual admission of having already slept with him. _I see he's taking advantage of the attention_ , she thought with a grimace.

Hermione faltered, unsure of what to do exactly. Did she walk past, hoping to not draw attention to herself and embarrass all of them? Or did she simply turn around and go out of her way to avoid any type of confrontation? Anger bubbled beneath her chest at her sudden train of thought, irritation at both herself and Malfoy rearing its ugly head.

If the two of them wanted to go at it, that was what the dorms were for. The corridors were a public place, and she wasn't going to go out of her way to make her life harder just because they didn't seem to grasp that fact. With a newfound swing in her step, Hermione made to walk past them, not bothering to spare them a single glance. At least, that was her intention.

Tracey whimpered, so softly that Hermione almost missed it. She was fully prepared to write it off when she heard the dark haired girl hiss, a whine climbing out of her throat. Hermione spun around in alarm, eyes wide as she took in the scene before her. His hands were gripping her wrists, now, pinning them to the wall, and her legs were trembling, or bucking, Hermione couldn't tell.

She took a step forward just as Tracey gasped.

"Hey," she called out to no avail.

She rushed towards the pair, hand reaching up to grip onto his shoulder with a fierceness.

"Get off of her," she snapped.

She wasn't expecting him to react so quickly, stumbling back when he spun around, grey eyes bright and penetrating. His nostrils flared, jaw tight as he glared down at her, something unfamiliar resting in his gaze. It reminded her of the day they'd first met, that terrifying look on his face as he made her feel so…small.

"What the bloody hell is your problem, Granger?"

Hermione forced herself to tear her eyes away from the frightening man before her only to land on Tracey…who looked perfectly fine. She had pushed her hair to one side, the dark tresses covering her neck and cascading over her shoulder and chest. She glared at Hermione with wide eyes, looking at the curly haired girl as if she were crazy.

"I-I'm sorry, I-."

"What do you think you are doing?" she demanded.

"I thought he was hurting you. It looked like…," she trailed off, gaze fully taking in the girl to see that she was clearly mistaken.

Tracey scoffed.

"I assure you, he wasn't."

Hermione felt her face heating up, looking everywhere but at the young man whose gaze seemed to be unwavering. She felt incredibly embarrassed and…naked under his scrutiny.

"I'm so sorry, Tracey. I really did think that-!"

"Whatever," she dismissed, leaning over to grab her bag.

She threw Malfoy a heated look, an unspoken conversation going on between them before she brushed past Hermione. Hermione suddenly found the floor very interesting as the sound of her footsteps faded away. The silence was heavy, thick with tension, and she opened her mouth to apologize again when he spoke.

"You don't like me."

She looked up, taken aback by his bluntness. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his dark trousers, heated gazed resting on her, not a hair out of place despite the incident she'd just been privy to.

"I don't know you," was her reply.

The corner of his lip lifted just the slightest as his eyes seemed to glow with something that she couldn't name just yet.

"…but you don't want to," he tossed back, one eyebrow lifted.

Hermione sighed, refusing to play this game with him.

"Look, I really am sorry to have ruined your…fun, okay? I genuinely thought that you were hurting her," she murmured.

"How noble of you to come rushing over like some lady in shining armor," he purred.

The way the words rolled off of his tongue didn't sound like he thought it was nice, at all. She glared at him, irritation rising when he appeared to be unfazed.

"I thought she was in trouble. That is what most people do when they see someone in distress," she retorted.

"I'd have to disagree…" he took a step towards her. "Most people, if given the right pressure or stimulus, are _evil motherfuckers_ who wouldn't bat an eyelash at a distressed schoolgirl unless there was something in it for them."

Hermione pursed her lips, craning her neck to fully look at him.

"That is an awful way to view the world, Malfoy. I suppose it's a good thing that I'm not most people then," she whispered.

He blinked, the same small blinding smile gracing his lips now as he regarded her. His eyes raked over her in wonder, a slight humming noise escaping past his barely parted lips.

"No, I suppose that you aren't. All the same, I accept your apology, Hermione. It was a simple mistake."

Despite his words, she felt that he didn't accept her apology in the slightest, and even long after he was gone, she couldn't help but wonder why she didn't like the sound of her name falling from his lips.

* * *

"Home? What do you mean that she was sent home?"

Harry swallowed his food before answering.

"You know she's been pretty ill, lately…," he began.

Oh, Hermione knew alright. There seemed to be some sort of ailment making its way throughout the school for the last three months or so. First, it was Pansy Parkinson. She'd slowly started eating less and less, eventually refusing to eat at all before opting to spend most of her free time in bed. The few times Hermione had seen the short haired girl before her abrupt departure, she'd looked sickly, barely able to even stand on her own.

Many students had thrown around words like anorexia or bulimia, accepting that the poor girl had been taken out of school to get help. Then, Lavender Brown was next, followed by Cormac, Daphne, Theo, Hannah, and Tracey. They all started out the same, eating less before eventually not eating at all with sickly appearances before leaving altogether. A few weeks ago, Ginny had started to exhibit the same behavior.

All of them had grown worried, begging Ginny to eat something, even something as little as some bread, but the once bubbly redhead had refused. Hermione had never seen Ginny like that in her life. She didn't want to leave her room, eyes vacant and face sunken in with dark bags under her eyes as she laid in bed day in and day out. Ron had grown extremely worried, Hermione and Harry seeing less and less of him as he all but refused to leave Ginny's side.

"Her family was sick with worry, Hermione. I'm sure she'll be okay, though. She just caught whatever it is that's been going around…"

Hermione didn't dare voice her opinions, but she didn't believe that there was some virus or something traveling throughout the halls. At least, not the kind that Harry was thinking of. As far as Hermione knew, there was no specific bug that caused that kind of behavior that she'd seen in her friend. No, not unless it was some unknown plague that they'd all gotten from Draco Malfoy.

Every single student that had fallen ill had been interacting rather heavily with the charming young man just days before the symptoms started. As far as she knew, both Hannah and Daphne had been study partners with him, both of them filling up a lot of their free time alone with him and a book for whatever class they had together. Theo had been his running buddy, Hermione often saw the two of them jogging on the grounds in the early hours of the morning. If the rumors were correct, then Cormac and Pansy had both been fooling around with him from time to time. She knew for a fact that Tracey and Lavender did.

It was weeks ago when Ginny had been assigned as his partner for some project they'd been assigned in Astronomy. Hermione had expressed concerns, and Ginny had half-heartedly listened before brushing her off. It wasn't exactly a well-kept secret that Hermione didn't care for him. She hadn't been surprised, only disappointed when Ginny began showcasing the same mannerisms as her unfortunate schoolmates.

Harry mistook her silence for worry, reaching up to pat her shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Hermione, you'll see. She'll back to school in no time," he said.

She was about to reply, when something else caught Harry's eyes. He lifted his hand with a grin.

"Draco," he called, waving the object of her thoughts over.

Hermione looked down with a grimace before hurriedly standing, rushing out some poor excuse of homework. She avoided Malfoy's searching gaze as she brushed past him, and made her way into the corridor.

Later that night, when Hermione found herself in bed with nothing but the darkness and silence of her room, she thought of Draco Malfoy. She thought of his contrasting demeanor that he always seemed to display around her and her only. A soft smile on his sinful lips while his eyes held whispers of dark things to come.

She wondered if she were imagining things, entertaining the thought there would be no reasonable explanation as to how he'd possibly be at fault for her sick classmates. Besides, he wasn't stupid. He knew that she didn't like him, so perhaps she was the only one to see that side of him because of how she treated him. After all, coincidentally enough, she was the only one who had a problem with the handsome young man. Everyone else seemed to love him just fine.

With a sigh, she turned over on her side, freezing when she noticed the open door of her bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest, eyes widening as she wracked her brain. She always closed her door and locked it too. She had too many incidents of Lavender or Ginny borrowing her stuff without asking. It was a habit for her, now.

She blinked as she slowly sat up, eyes glancing around the dark expanse of her room with something akin to frightful curiosity. Nothing looked out of place or weird, and Hermione began to wonder if she'd simply forgotten to close her door for the night. That was until something gripped her ankle, yanking her forward just the slightest bit.

She let out a yelp, yanking her legs back and gripping the covers as she whipped her head around, looking for her assailant. Her lips trembled, blood rushing in her ears as adrenaline and fear coursed through her veins. Her chest heaved, still feeling the grip of cold fingers on her skin through the sheet.

This time, the sheet was ripped off and hands with sharp nails clawed at her bare legs. A blood-curdling scream escaped her lips as she kicked out, legs burning with the arrival of cuts and gashes. She could feel the injuries soaking her bedding, and she screamed in fright as she fought off her invisible attacker. She continued to scream even when light flooded her bedroom, very real hands on her now, voices accompanying them.

"Hermione! Hermione," they yelled.

She was shaken, hair flying around her face as she blinked, taking in the faces before her.

"Hermione, you were having a dream," Parvati said, the girl staring at her with wide eyes.

Hermione glanced around at the worried faces of her classmates, eyes finally landing on the sheet on the floor.

"No. No, I…"

"It was just a dream," she reassured.

Hermione jumped out of bed, looking down at her legs to find them unharmed. She slowly spun around, taking in the sight of her room, empty of whatever attacker she thought she had.

"It can't be. I- I felt something clawing at me. I was _bleeding_ ," she said, rushing back to the bed to feel the fabric there.

It was dry, and Hermione frowned. She suddenly spun around, eyes connecting with Parvati.

"My door… Was my door open or closed when you came in?" she demanded.

"Open," Parvati said with a shrug, unsure of what difference it made.

Hermione stumbled back, eyes wide and heart pounding as she looked around.

"Something was in here! You have to believe me," she pleaded.

One of the girls had long slipped out, returning with Professor McGonagall at that very second. It took almost an hour for the woman to get Hermione to settle down, even longer for her to finally calm down enough to go to sleep, finally convinced that it was all nothing but a dream.

That night was the first of many nightmares that would plague her for several weeks. They were never clear, but they all were the same. The hands gripping her wrists, the blood, and the teeth vivid enough to linger with her even during the day. So much so, that her schoolwork had even begun to be affected, and that was how she found herself before her Professor, listening with dread as he informed her that Draco Malfoy would be tutoring her until her grade improved.

* * *

Hermione wasn't exactly sure how she'd ended up in her current predicament. The blood on her wrist stained his sheets, but Draco didn't seem to be the least bit worried about that. Her mind was foggy, thoughts a jumbled mess as he kissed his way down her heaving chest.

From the very first moment that she'd stepped into his room, his predatory gaze had never left her form, making her feel severely self-conscious. They'd studied, and he was smart, she gave him that, but the feel of hands slinking around her throat still weighed on her mind. Her nightmares just felt so… _real_. The fear that they invoked would never leave, wrapping around her and constricting like a snake.

Somehow, they'd gotten on the topic of past conquests, and Hermione welcomed the distraction, despite the fact that she had never been eager to ever talk about such a thing. She had just been so out of it lately, jumpy and paranoid, and she feared that she was going crazy. So she eagerly participated in the discussion, surprised to find that Draco wasn't a bad study partner, nor an awful person to converse with.

Somewhere along the way, she had become transfixed, eyes drinking in his otherworldly features, smooth voice lulling her into a serenity that she hadn't felt in months. Of course, it was all clear, now that it was a part of his… _charms_. When he'd calmly stated that he could show her better than he could tell her just what made him so assured, Hermione hadn't expected to be proven right about him.

The earth-shattering fear that she had felt upon watching him sink his sharp teeth into the thin skin of her wrist had quickly bled away into something…more, a warmth like no other cascading over her frame. Her vision had swayed, and her eyes had rolled to the back of her head, not very different from how she was, at the moment.

Her leg was thrown over his shoulder, fingers threaded into his pale tresses as his teeth broke the skin on the inside of her thigh. The feel of him drawing her blood from a place so close to where she wanted to feel him most was too much. She arched her back, a soft whine leaping out of her throat when he dug his fingers into her leg, other hand coming up to land on her stomach and push her back down.

Draco had been right that first day; her parents were fools. Maybe if they had been more superstitious, or open-minded, then maybe Hermione would have been more inclined to entertain what her subconscious had been trying to tell her all along. Maybe Hermione would have heeded the danger that was Draco Malfoy. Maybe he wouldn't be taking his fill of her with her leg thrown over his shoulder, eager to give him everything. Maybe he wouldn't be ripping her uniform off of her warm body, eyes revealing the monster that he literally was.

An inhuman growl left his lips, just before his sharp teeth dipped into her neck, perfectly in sync with the way his hips finally snapped into hers. Hermione moaned, nails raking over his bare back as he thrust into her with a rhythm that had her head spinning. He growled into her neck at the action, and Hermione could feel blood beneath her fingertips. She threw her head back, wild curls splayed across his pillow like a halo, senses reaching a record high as he drank from her and fucked her.

Hermione was no prude, despite what her classmates liked to say, but she had never felt pleasure like this. Everything was so much more intense and addicting, forcing her to take note of every little detail. Every snap of his hips and every pull from his lips. The way his fingers dug into her skin, broad chest pinning her frame against his sheets. She cried out his name with abandon, tears springing to the corners of her eyes from the intensity of it all.

He finally pulled away, head tilted back, eyes falling closed as he rolled his hips. The moonlight cast shadows over his fair skin and hair, a dark angel hovering above her, nothing pure about any of his intentions. His hands sought out her wrists, pinning them down as he sank into her again and again, head leaning down to brush his nose along her collarbone. A hiss escaped his pretty lips when she clenched around him, and Hermione was sure that at any moment, she would explode.

His hands trailed down her sides now, tightly gripping her waist before he sank his fangs into her chest. A whine spilled from her lips, the sound turning into a hiss when one hand ran along her back to yank her up, back and hips lifting from the bed as he plunged into her. Her eyelashes fluttered, breath hitching, and she reached up to tangle her hands into her own hair as it brushed against the fabric of his sheets.

Her world shattered.

She collapsed back onto the bed, harsh pants leaving her lips as he pulled away from her chest, the moonlight glinting off of his bloodstained lips. He trailed one lone finger over her shoulder, shudders still wracking her frame. He leaned down, brushing his bloody lips against her own unblemished ones, breath fanning over her face.

"Oh, I think I'm going to keep you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Let's get spooky!**

* * *

…and keep her he did.

When the fog of euphoria had finally lifted, and Hermione had come to her senses, she avoided Draco Malfoy like the plague. It was with the low whisper of cloth and the soft padding of feet on his bedroom floor that she slipped out of his dorm while he slept in post orgasmic bliss. Could people like him even sleep? The true realization of what he was hadn't seemed to completely settle in just yet, her body running on autopilot. The only thing that seemed to be on repeat in her mind was the word danger, danger, danger over and over again on a loop. She had to stay away from him and find a way to get him out of their school.

Or at least, those were her intentions.

Draco, on the other hand, had other ideas.

* * *

Hermione watched with baited breath and a fear stricken heart as Draco Malfoy continued to dazzle her schoolmates and friends. She knew that no one would believe her if she told them the truth. Hell, she herself still didn't believe it at times. However, it was when she was on the verge of sleep, alone in her bed, did she recall the feel of his hands on her, leaving scorch marks in their wake. Her hair, her neck, her breasts. The memory remained so vivid, vivid to the point where she started to believe he'd gotten inside of her head. She would not put it past him.

After all, he had done it before.

She was grateful that she had never hid her displeasure of the beautiful boy, because it made avoiding him that much easier. No one questioned when she would leave just as he was approaching, mumbling some poor excuse they all knew was a lie. No one batted an eyelash when she was strangely quiet during discussions that involved his name. It was behavior they were used to since the first moment he'd stepped foot into Hogwarts. No one blinked or even spared a second glance during these occurrences. No one but the man in question himself.

His eyes would twinkle with something only they knew as she made her great escapes. His perfect lips would quirk up just the slightest, as if he found her behavior oh so amusing. At times, during class or breakfast or dinner, she'd feel his heated gaze pressing down on her so much she thought she'd suffocate. Those moments were the worst...

What did he want from her? That question alone haunted her like no other, more than any nightmare ever could. As the previously sick students began to return one by one, Hermione was hit with a startling realization. None of them remembered what had made them sick in the first place. Well, they didn't remember what really made them sick. Every single one of them had mumbled the same excuse of some stomach virus. An excuse that Hermione did not have to come up with, because she had never gotten "sick" like they did. Her...experience with Draco seemed to be different altogether, starting with the fact that her memory was still intact.

What did he want from her?

As she slowly began to pull herself away from her friends, she spent more and more time in the library. She wasn't sure what she was hoping to find in fictional books full of tales about sharp fangs and glowing eyes, but she had to start somewhere. She had to get rid of him before he started preying on her friends again...or anyone else for that matter. She'd finally accepted the reality of the situation and was even able to think it, perhaps even say it if need be.

Draco Malfoy was a vampire.

She didn't know why he was at Hogwarts or what he wanted, but he'd integrated himself into the hearts of just about everyone on the school grounds to the point where she was the only one with any chance to stand against him. He'd warmed the hearts of students and teachers alike with his charm, but she was the only one who knew better. She was the only one who knew just what hid behind those dazzling eyes. Only she knew of the sharp fangs that hid behind his lips, accompanied by an equally sharp tongue that could lull even the best of them into doing his bidding.

He slept. That much she knew. In fact, that was just about all she knew. Was she supposed to stake him in the heart while he was sleeping? She didn't see that going over very well. Did garlic affect him? Crucifixes? Clearly sunlight didn't. She scoffed with a shake of her head as she closed the book and slid it back into place. As she browsed, she found herself thinking what a shame it was that she hadn't paid better attention to him before. Maybe she could have noticed something, retained something, that would aid her.

"Maybe I should just invest in some holy water," she mumbled into the air.

"Holy water has no affect on me."

Hermione shrieked, dropping the book at the sound of a familiar voice speaking right into her ear. She turned to watch as he caught the book just before it hit the ground, heart pounding in her chest. The lighting in the library was low, signaling the late hour. She took a cautious step back as he straightened, eyes resting on her as he reached behind her to slide the book back into place just above her head. His hand remained there, trapping her as his gaze did not waver, a look in his eyes that terrified her.

"Crucifixes don't do anything either."

Hermione couldn't speak, her words caught in her throat as she came to the frightening revelation that she was alone with him for the first time since she found out what he was. His eyes finally moved, only to look over her frame at an excruciatingly slow pace. When his eyes met hers again, he smirked.

"You're trembling," he noted, tilting his head in the most non threatening way. "Is it from fear? Or anticipation?"

Hermione finally found her voice.

"Anticipation? What could I possibly have to anticipate?"

He stepped closer, crowding her against the books, and something in her, something she didn't know was still there, reacted to it. He inhaled, a long deep sound as his nose hovered just above the crook of her neck. It was so quiet, Hermione was sure she could hear a pin drop. He was so close that she could feel the body heat emanating from him, yet so far. He wasn't even touching her. They remained like that for a painful amount of time, just standing there and basking in one another. It felt like ages before he finally spoke, and when he did, her blood froze.

"I did say I was going to keep you...did I not?"

She turned her head, so sharp and so fast that her nose bumped against his. Her heart rate skyrocketed, and if the fluttering of Draco's eyelashes were any indication, he could hear it.

"I love that sound," he whispered, confirming her suspicions.

"What do you want?" she quietly asked, almost afraid of the answer.

He backed away with a secretive smile on his lips as he hummed, hands clasped behind his back. He paused at the table beside him and slowly reached out to run his finger along it. He made a face at the dust he found there.

"When I first came to your lovely school, I just wanted a bit of fun. Supple guys and gals with energetic hearts and overzealous smiles ripe for the picking. I planned to have a field day, to leave my mark and disappear with the memory of their blood on my lips. I wasn't planning to stay for long..."

He had begun taking slow but sure steps along the aisle, eyes and hands trailing over the books. He had paused, now, eyes resting on her as a heavy gleam danced along his irises.

"...but you happened. You were wary of me from the very first moment we met. It was...exciting to say the least. It was so..."

He walked towards her then.

"...invigorating to know that you didn't trust me in the slightest. You were practically watching my every move," he chuckled. "I had everyone fooled...everyone but you."

Hermione braced herself as he neared her. He finally touched her then, his hand coming up to trail a finger along her temple and down her cheek. He hummed as the blood rushed to there, warming his finger.

"It made the conquest all that much sweeter...but it wasn't enough."

Hermione swallowed as a familiar darkness slipped into his gaze, and heat traveled through her frame. He closed his eyes and inhaled again, and his smile grew.

"Oh, you want me," he breathed.

"I-!"

"I can smell it," he cut her off, eyes flying open.

She felt her face heat up as the implications of what he meant fully sank in. She couldn't hold his gaze.

"...but I can see you're going to be difficult."

She hesitantly raised her eyes to meet his, and what a mistake that was. His lips were on hers before she understood what was happening. They were forceful and rough, but slow. He took his time kissing her, and a part of her appreciated that, because if she were being honest with herself, she wanted to savor it. She didn't know if it was the danger, or if it was some kind of influence on his part, but goosebumps erupted over her flesh as pleasure began to bubble within her.

He pulled away just the slightest, only to dive back in, but this time it wasn't her lips that he was hungry for.

Hermione was not able to stop the moan that escaped her when his sharp teeth nipped against her skin. Blood rose past the surface, coating her bottom lip like lipstick, and he was bringing it into his mouth. Her hands reached out then, fisting his shirt. She didn't know if she wanted to push him away, or pull him closer. He tilted her head back as he drank from her lips, and she felt wetness skip down the side of her face as some escaped his hungry assault. When he was done, she felt light headed, but his arms prevented her from falling.

"You can't fight me. You have no power to stop me from doing whatever I want to anyone in this school...in case you got any ideas into your head while I gave you time to come to terms with what I am..."

She nervously swallowed as he spoke.

"You want me, that much is obvious, and I could easily make you...compliant," he continued, his voice dropping and causing her heart to skip a beat.

He suddenly sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He reached up to brush her unruly hair off of her shoulder, his gaze thoughtful as he looked down at her, fair hair falling into his bright eyes.

"...but where is the fun in that? This Friday, I'll be taking my leave. I don't know where I'll be going just yet, but I want you to come with me."

Her eyes widened as she reared back.

"What?"

"I want you to come of your own accord. This Friday, you'll be leaving with me, or...I will be moved to force your hand."

Hermione was speechless.

"...and despite what you might like to believe, I actually don't want to do that. It'll just draw unnecessary attention and questions. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Hermione clenched her jaw as she imagined Harry or Ron mangled and bloody, Draco Malfoy's grinning form standing over them. He kissed her then, so swiftly and softly that she thought she might have imagined it. He stepped away, hovering just in front of the darkness behind him.

"Don't make me do something neither one of us want."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Friday came much faster than Hermione would have liked. The days in between were spent scheming and desperately trying to come up with something, anything, to stop him. However, he was right. She had no power against him. No weakness of his to exploit. The day before, she'd woken up to find the word 'midnight' scrawled along her mirror in a red substance that she fought to convince herself was not blood.

Midnight on the dot found her approaching the courtyard, the moonlight lighting her path. There he stood in all of his dark glory, a black ensemble garbing his frame. He didn't turn when she approached, but he knew that she knew he was aware of her presence. He inhaled, a satisfied hum escaping him as his shoulders sagged.

"I have a proposition...," she suddenly said.

He slowly turned to finally face her, eyebrow raised as he regarded her. She swallowed, clinging to her last ditch effort.

"You like to play games right? You like the chase...? The thrill?"

Draco chuckled then, stepping towards her as he waved his finger with a 'tsking' sound.

"That isn't part of the plan..."

She ignored him and looked around.

"I know this school like the back of my hand. It's a second home to me. I know all of its nooks and crannies..," she rested her eyes on him "...and hideaways."

He smirked, reaching out to pull her closer by the back of her neck.

"I'm listening..."

"If I win the game, you leave and you never come back."

"How saddening...," he pouted.

Their gazes never broke.

"If you win...I'll come with you, no fight, no fuss. I'm yours...in every single way," she proposed.

He straightened, eyes practically glowing with a savage hunger at the thought as he looked down his nose at her.

"...terms?"

His voice was husky, thick with desire.

"You give me 30 minutes to hide anywhere on these grounds, and I give you 30 minutes to find me."

He reached down, lifting her wrist to bring her watch into view.

"Looks like your time started 7 seconds ago," he purred.

She swallowed and backed away, eyes never leaving his until she disappeared around the corner and took off through the castle. She hadn't lied when she said she knew Hogwarts like the back of her hand. She'd never stated that she had to stay in one hiding spot the entire time, and as the minutes ticked on, she found herself moving further and further to the other end of the grounds. She didn't trust Draco to not use his senses to find her, and that was how she eventually found herself hiding in the lake.

She waded in the far end near the trees, ready to duck down at a moment's notice. It was cold, and Hermione was certain she'd get hypothermia, but as long as she lived to tell the tale, she didn't care. She was going to do what it took to make sure he didn't find her in time. Several more minutes passed before she decided to make her way into the trees. She glanced at her watch, heart stuttering when she saw there was only three minutes left.

She debated on whether to stay put, or to run in an attempt to drag out the time and possible distance between them.

It wasn't needed.

She gasped when a hand curled its way around her throat, yanking her back into a firm chest. She was frozen, a part of her fearful of what was next, and another part of her...relieved. He hummed, the vibrations from his chest seeping into her back as he did so. His other hand gripped her waist, the fingers digging into her flesh.

"Looks like I've caught you...with one minute to spare," he whispered, lips brushing against her ear.

His grip on her throat tightened just the slightest, and Hermione finally moved, reaching up to grip his hand.

"Do you remember that night, Hermione?"

Of course she did. There was no way she'd forget it, and he knew that.

"Do you remember what it felt like to have both my teeth and my cock sink into you? Do you remember the absolute pleasure I gave you?"

She shuddered, unable to nod due to his grip.

"Remember the way I sang in between your legs, how they parted for me? You've never known bliss like that...not until me," he stated.

It didn't need to be confirmed by her. They both knew it was true. He tilted her head, and she dug her nails into his hand as his teeth grazed the skin of her neck.

"I will drag you to heaven and back every night for the rest of my existence. I'll show you pleasures your human mind cannot even comprehend. For the rest of eternity, you'll want for nothing."

He yanked her hips back until she was firmly pressed against him. His lips brushed against her neck in the sweetest kiss before he whispered:

"You'll just have to die first."

There was no time for any noise to escape her as he dove into her neck.

* * *

 **Happy Spooky Season!**


End file.
